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Vic Toews Target Of Privacy Intrusion Via Twitter

First Posted: 02/15/2012 2:28 pm Updated: 02/16/2012 3:27 pm

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Vic Toews Twitter
An anonymous Twitter account is targeting Public Safety Minister Vic Toews over an online surveillance bill that would give police more power to gather personal information about people. (CP/Alamy)


An anonymous Twitter account is targeting Public Safety Minister Vic Toews over an online surveillance bill that would give police more power to gather personal information about people.


The account is tweeting details of Toews’s acrimonious divorce, taking snippets from affidavits filed by Toews and his ex-wife.


C-30, the bill introduced Tuesday, would force internet and telecommunications service providers to provide specific information about customers to police upon request and without a warrant. It's drawn criticism from privacy experts. Toews is the bill's sponsor.


The first tweet from the account said "Vic wants to know about you. Let’s get to know Vic." The tweet was tagged so it would show up in general streams for Canadian politics followers and those discussing the online surveillance bill.


Toews didn't directly address the account, but tweeted Wednesday during question period, "I won't get involved in this kind of gutter politics. Engaging in or responding to this kind of discussion leads nowhere."


The person running the account tweeted a few times Tuesday night and resumed Wednesday morning at a rate of up to 12 times an hour.


The Twitter account caught the attention of at least one MP. Liberal Justin Trudeau twice tweeted the account name to his 110,000 followers, with seemingly sarcastic professions of support for Toews.


Toews has been a strong defender of the bill, drawing criticism himself for how he framed the debate.


On Monday in question period, answering a query about the police powers included in the bill, Toews told Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia he "can either stand with us or with the child pornographers."


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An anonymous Twitter account is targeting Public Safety Minister Vic Toews over an online surveillance bill that would give police more power to gather personal information about people. ...
An anonymous Twitter account is targeting Public Safety Minister Vic Toews over an online surveillance bill that would give police more power to gather personal information about people. ...
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Canadians deserve better than deceptive claims and divisive name-calling. They deserve real judicial oversight before their personal information is disclosed and, given the costs (financial and otherwise), they deserve a full accounting on why lawful access is needed.
Michael Geist

Michael Geist: Warrantless Access Unjustified in Surveillance Bill

A Public Safety document demonstrates that the intention is to use this data for purposes that do not involve criminal or child pornography concerns..Is the government really proposing to drop key privacy protections for non-criminal concerns?
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Newfoundlander
I'm a pessimist, an optimist with experience!
498 Fans
03:35 AM on 02/16/2012
"Vic Toews target of Twitter jokes,..."
**************************************

I used to tell political jokes, but I had to stop because jokes were being elected.
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SamEasy
You really don`t want to know.
479 Fans
02:55 AM on 02/16/2012
Ole Vic has a dirty trail involving younger women!! Search it!!!
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bainerhead
11 Fans
10:42 PM on 02/15/2012
I guess we're either with having kids out of wedlock or against Big Brother
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Expletive Deleted Ca
34 Fans
 
10:00 PM on 02/15/2012
This type of stuff is exactly why they want to monitor online activities. You actually think they didn't take notice of the Arab spring? Social media scares the hell out of Governments, because instead of it being like it was in the '60's, you can relay information to millions of people at once. This type of power and ability to assemble makes Governments extremely nervous. Especially after this past summer with the OWS movement. For the first time in history you had the same message being acted upon a cross all of Canada and the United States.

That is why they are pushing so hard for SOPA, ACTA and this lawful access bill.

"A government afraid of its citizens is a Democracy. Citizens afraid of government is tyranny!" -- Thomas Jefferson
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WarmSnowMan
33 Fans
09:59 PM on 02/15/2012
Could the HP bring us the full story, instead of the censored version?
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BCSLAVE
Got a key?
390 Fans
09:48 PM on 02/15/2012
Opposition party members, their supporters, their friends, and their families will no longer be free and secure to do their LAWFUL PRIVATE BUSINESS in PRIVATE. NOR SHALL YOU! This is the wish of the present "Harper Government". It so fundamentally anti-freedom I say its anti-Canadian. It was anathema to every Canadian Government before Harper took over and named himself the country.

Just imagine the chilling effect over the country's business, innovation, education, political direction if it can be stolen by "agents". How Soviet! This will be just another country where the government threatens lawful free thought, intellectual property rights, and lawful civil political action. A country were the people in power easily ease drop on every citizens actions and communications. Using technology to profile and track dissidents whereabouts and friends in order to attack them in some way. How creepy! And if public opinion is going against the government's wishes they can challenge targets with passive aggressive tactics by government agents or party predators. It can be worse since torture is now lawful!

The last generation passed ALL our rights onto us and demanded we protect them ALL for future generations. These are not talking points but the soul, the blood, and the heart of a nation; lots of men from the past generation spilled their blood and stilled their hearts on Normandy Beach just to preserve those rights for YOU! Stop Harper's "1933 type Enabling Act"

V for Victory!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
shediac
211 Fans
09:10 PM on 02/15/2012
Manitoba used to be known for football, mosquitoes and hockey....
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SamEasy
You really don`t want to know.
479 Fans
08:15 PM on 02/15/2012
LOOK OUT NOW,,,,,,,,,,,,,for some new legislation that will make it necessary to be licensed to use Twitter and other types of media in Canada.

Brought to you by 'The Regressive RECONFORM Party of Canada.
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BCSLAVE
Got a key?
390 Fans
08:11 PM on 02/15/2012
Lets get to know Stephen and his wife now...rumor has it she doesn't live with the SOB but is having....with a female...in a hotel down the street.
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Terrywister
41 Fans
 
07:34 PM on 02/15/2012
Welcome Mr. Toews to the world of "Invasion of Privacy".
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Spanky McFarlane
ILLEGITIMUS NON CARBORUNDUM.
188 Fans
06:53 PM on 02/15/2012
In 2008 the Harper party sent greeting cards to many Jewish families in & around Ottawa.
Very upset,some in the Jewish Community demanded answers- The Cons denied accessing Government files to do this, as well as Synagog records & said they compiled thir list from the public domain. This although many had never let their religious views enter the 'public domain'.
.
This left two options, either someone in the Jewish Community 'informed' on their neighbours (not likely) or Harper's henchmen skimmed a file & looked for names that 'sounded' Jewish.

Are these the 'CREEPY people' we want checking our e-mail?

I think not!

(* they did the same for the Chinese Community as well)
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
spinnerator
108 Fans
 
05:13 AM on 02/16/2012
It's called marketing and Google is infamous for it. Don't let your abject hatred of all things Conservative get in the way of common sense. Anybody with money can buy this type of infor. Google sells it, Facebook sells it, Microsoft sells it. Get used to it.
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Spanky McFarlane
ILLEGITIMUS NON CARBORUNDUM.
188 Fans
11:23 AM on 02/16/2012
Maybe it's just liars I dislike....
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080907/election2008_cards_080910/20080910?s_name=election2008

"Zylberberg said she doesn't vote Conservative and isn't a member of any Jewish organizations.

"I thought, 'This is so awful.' I felt like this was a real invasion."

In Wednesday's Globe and Mail, Conservative spokesman Ryan Sparrow said the party doesn't use any prepared lists and hasn't purchased any from the Internet. He also wasn't sure how many cards were sent out this year.

But for Zylberberg, any list based on ethnicity or religion is "a scary thought."
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Liz Wilson 2
“a small group can change the world
348 Fans
06:36 PM on 02/15/2012
I am no fan of Toews or the Christian he pretends to be, but I think this is a little to American Style smear for my liking.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
shediac
211 Fans
09:12 PM on 02/15/2012
He doesn't deny his affair with the babysitter 30 years his junior. He doesn't deny having abandoned his family...sound familiar?
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Liz Wilson 2
“a small group can change the world
348 Fans
09:54 PM on 02/15/2012
Oh I know its true and I think he is a huge hypocrate. I just don't believe in the concept of doing to him the exact thing none of us want do to happen to us through his ill conceived surveillence bill.
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Liz Wilson 2
“a small group can change the world
348 Fans
04:06 PM on 02/16/2012
He does seem to be a little more Newt Gingrich then I am comfortable with.
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Donnerskinde
I used to be a people person,till people ruined it
67 Fans
06:17 PM on 02/15/2012
I love how he calls it gutter politics, while resorting to the worst kind of pandering and fearmongering there is. This bill is not about catching child pornographers, and opposition doesn't make you a criminal, yet Toews clearly believes that the only people who oppose this bill are pedophiles. No thats some gutter politics.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cameron d
Good Guys Win
1044 Fans
 
06:09 PM on 02/15/2012
I love it. Over a day later and Ol' Vic is still trending here in Toronto. Let's keep it up.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
samseed
We're here for a good time, not a long time
251 Fans
05:58 PM on 02/15/2012
What a guy...supposedly standing against Child Porn on the internet, when he allegedly knocked up his young baby sitter? Nice family values there Vic. This is what they call Karma. Leave my privacy alone, I am a good person. If you want to search me because you suspect me of committing a crime, thats kool, but get a warrant, I dont trust you, cops, or anyone else, especially in government. The government if anything should fear the people, the people should not fear the government, they serve the people!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
working onit
Stop Harper
79 Fans
08:05 PM on 02/15/2012
excuse me?....his babysitter? Where did you get that info from?
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SamEasy
You really don`t want to know.
479 Fans
08:17 PM on 02/15/2012
I would LOVE to get the inside dope on that story!!! But something tells me it ain't true.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
samseed
We're here for a good time, not a long time
251 Fans
08:24 PM on 02/15/2012
I've read it in a few places now. It was supposedly posted on Vikileaks. Just google vikileaks, it mentions what I said in a National Post article.
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Exexecution
396 Fans
08:30 PM on 02/15/2012
The Minister of Family Values had an affair with a young lady who worked for Conservative MP Joy Smith. Toews, still married to his wife and being the good Steinbach Christian that he is, impregnated the woman, who was rewarded by being turfed by Joy Smith and the Conservative Party.

http://www.wickedclub.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=9&id=7105&Itemid=556
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
samseed
We're here for a good time, not a long time
251 Fans
08:43 PM on 02/15/2012
Ok so the info I was goin off of was twitter posts on Vikileaks and articles referring to them. Thanks for the info Ex. Good to have the story straight, but the article you refer to also says "Now the Minister of Family Values has struck again, this time making an appearance a couple weeks ago on "Co-ed night" with another young lady at a Winnipeg Gay Bathhouse called "Aquarius"....the couple rented a room where Toews stayed in the entire evening while his young lady friend cruised the bathhouse looking for playmates" Wow...for real?
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